Intent of the Day – Intent Bloghttp://intentblog.com
Fri, 18 Aug 2017 20:54:23 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.12Living with Intent: 6 Steps to Living a Healthier, More Joyful & Purposeful Lifehttp://intentblog.com/living-with-intent-6-steps-to-living-a-healthier-more-joyful-purposeful-life/
Wed, 31 May 2017 01:00:37 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=285993About two years ago, I approached my father (Deepak Chopra) with a confession. I told him I was generally exhausted, over caffeinated and my sugar addiction was out of control. I realized I was overscheduled trying to balance my role as a wife, mom, and entrepreneur with Intent.com, my start-up social media company. I felt […]

About two years ago, I approached my father (Deepak Chopra) with a confession. I told him I was generally exhausted, over caffeinated and my sugar addiction was out of control. I realized I was overscheduled trying to balance my role as a wife, mom, and entrepreneur with Intent.com, my start-up social media company. I felt bloated and had a lot of body pain. I hadn’t been meditating or exercising much, and at night I was having trouble sleeping. My father looked shell shocked, and it took a few moments for him to transition from concerned father to Deepak Chopra, the person that thousands go to for health advice.

Yes, even a Chopra can find herself out of balance, unhealthy, and wondering if my daily actions have any meaning or purpose. In the weeks before I confessed to my father, I had set the intent to make changes to feel better, more energetic and happier in my days. I decided to recommit to meditation (which I had learned when I was nine) and to rediscover the many lessons that my parents had taught us. But, this was just the beginning of the journey, and thus, I turned to my father for help.

As we sat together, my father and I brainstormed an exercise that would help me think about the areas in my life that needed attention. We came up with the following Balance Wheel – thinking about whether I was struggling, surviving or thriving in each area.

The exercise helped me break down the areas I needed to focus on, ask myself what I wanted, and set the intents to make change.

I did some thought-provoking activities, from going on a health retreat to visiting Amma, the hugging guru, and to find more meaning and purpose, I spent time with my grandparents in India, paid attention to my eating and internal dialogue in a way I have never done before, and discovered unexpected joy in my role as a soccer mom. I also interviewed brilliant thinkers like Eckhart Tolle, Marianne Williamson, Arianna Huffington, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Dan Siegel, and Caryl Stern, the President of the US Fund for UNICEF. In the book I share some of the laughter, frustration and lessons I learned along the way.

I also developed a road map to live with INTENT.

INCUBATE: Quiet your mind to tap into your deepest intentions; see where this leads.

NOTICE: Become mindful of your thoughts and actions and pay attention to what they tell you about what gives you meaning and a sense of purpose – and look for signs that can point you towards your truth.

TRUST: Have confidence in your inner knowing – and in the messages the universe sends you – and allow that knowledge to guide you forward.

EXPRESS: Write down your intentions; say them out loud or share them with others to fully embrace them and help you move ahead in your journey.

NURTURE: Be gentle with yourself as you try to find your way. Intention isn’t always a straightforward path, just like life, and giving yourself opportunities to try – and fail – is often part of, and even crucial to, the process.

TAKE ACTION: Once you’ve identified an intent, or even multiple ones, don’t sit and wait for it to magically manifest; instead take the practical steps that can make each become a reality. It may be easiest to choose one intent first and set short-term goals to help you get started.

In my book, I share my personal stories, research, practical tips and exercises for each of these six steps. Living with Intent becomes available on April 7th but if you would like to pre-order now, you will also receive a free gift of my ebook “Meditation with Mallika Chopra”. You are invited to share this offer with any and everyone!

I am also excited to share resources like this one about the INTENT roadmap through the Chopra Well! Look forward to interviews with some of my favorite examples of people who live their lives with intent like Gabby Bernstein and Gretchen Rubin. Check out the first video here:

]]>A New Intent: What Do You Ask For?http://intentblog.com/new-intent-ask/
Wed, 31 May 2017 00:45:10 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=285864Intents come from our soul and represent who we aspire to be as individuals, members of our communities and citizens of Mother Earth. When we were young, my dad had my brother and I repeat the following phrase, and ask for the qualities of love, connection and inspiration in our life. Take a moment. What do […]

]]>Intent of the Day: Time for Friendshiphttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-time-friendship/
Mon, 15 May 2017 21:40:09 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289616Time and experience can tell you that you are definitely able to find yourself alone even in a crowd of people. A city can be just as lonely as the most isolated cabin on the most isolated mountaintop if you aren’t connected and known by people who matter to you. So often we can assume […]

Time and experience can tell you that you are definitely able to find yourself alone even in a crowd of people. A city can be just as lonely as the most isolated cabin on the most isolated mountaintop if you aren’t connected and known by people who matter to you.

So often we can assume a lack of effort on another’s part as rejection on ours, but perhaps it is time to consider that we hold the keys to our own happiness and connection.

“I always assume you’re busy.”
“Why did we ever fall out of touch?”
“We think about you all the time, we just assumed…”

Many of us are operating out of assumptions that stop of from reaching out.
We assume someone else is busy.
We assume we’re forgotten.
We assume people have better things going on.

All this assuming has left us tired and disconnected and so, whether we are busy or not, we want to make time to reach out. We want to make time to stay up-to-date with the lives of those who matter to us. We intend to make time for friendship.

You too? Here are some permissions you have when making time for friends:

You can ask first.
The human hope to be desired is common for all of us. All of us hope to be remembered. All of us hope to be the most important guest at the party. Rather than let everyday feel like you’ve been rejected from whatever goings-on you haven’t heard about yet, you can be the first to reach out and create a hang out. You can ask someone to meet you for coffee. You can make the time by being the first to ask.

You can volunteer an activity.
What do you like to do? It sounds like a basic question but it can be a struggle to think of go-to activities on the spot. So think! What do you like? What kind of activities make you anxious? Rather than avoid outings because they involve things you don’t like, come prepared with suggestions you will enjoy: a coffee shop, rock climbing, cooking dinner at home, a stroll through a bookstore you’ve been wanting to check out!

You can follow up.
Don’t sweat it if it takes a minute to schedule time with your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) people. Lives and schedules are hectic and this is more about YOU making space for friendship. If you have to reach out a second or third time to get all the details squared away, it’s okay. If you need to try scheduling time with multiple people, go ahead and get started. Some may be more difficult to get on the calendar than others. Know that you can set the pace for how you’d like to be treated in friendship by reaching out kindly.

All of this can seem very basic. Most of it involves skills we learned in kindergarten but we forget that being friends is a thing that can make everyone nervous. It can feel very vulnerable and so we can make those attempts clunky and awkward as a result. It’s okay. Breathe. Recall that time when everyone in the room was 6 years old and go make some time for friendship.

]]>Intent of the Day: Tough Questionshttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-tough-questions/
Thu, 11 May 2017 21:59:29 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289609We don’t always associate questions with hard work. We think of sweat, exercise, building, almost anything other than questions but those can be some of the hardest to face. When we ask ourselves the tough questions, there is no place to hide. We can also prioritize everything else above our own reflection time, but there […]

We don’t always associate questions with hard work. We think of sweat, exercise, building, almost anything other than questions but those can be some of the hardest to face. When we ask ourselves the tough questions, there is no place to hide. We can also prioritize everything else above our own reflection time, but there is so much that can feel our of whack when we haven’t taken the time to really examine our real feelings and hopes. It doesn’t appear that there will be a convenient time to ask, so we’re going to set an intent to make the time. We intend to ask ourselves the tough questions.

You too? Here are 3 reasons you should too:

This help from Deepak Chopra on addressing the tough question of finding out what you want

It’s hard to know what you want when you haven’t stopped to examine what you need. Deepak dives into the hard task of discovering your purpose by asking yourself the tough questions. Where will you begin? We loved the help offered in this quick video!

]]>Intent of the Day: Eat with Intentionhttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-eat-intention/
Wed, 10 May 2017 06:38:31 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289602We spend a lot of time discussing the mind-body connection, but today we want to focus on the body half. Whether we want to or not, we have to slow down to eat eventually. It is in this simple and basic act that we can help or hurt ourselves, make or break a day. To […]

We spend a lot of time discussing the mind-body connection, but today we want to focus on the body half. Whether we want to or not, we have to slow down to eat eventually. It is in this simple and basic act that we can help or hurt ourselves, make or break a day. To begin, when we rush through eating, we can eat without realizing how our body is affected. When we skip eating, we deprive our body of vital nutrients to make it through the day. When we binge, we flood our body with excess, making us lethargic and heavy. Prolonged habits can cause lasting damage and much of it can be traced back to eating without fully connecting to the act. Today we want to start a different habit. We will eat with intention.

]]>Intent of the Day: Know Who We Arehttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-know/
Mon, 08 May 2017 23:13:19 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289598There is so much that makes a human. Muscles, nerve endings, water and blood. On top of your skeleton is a lifetime of experiences, things you’ve heard about what is normal, what you could and should be. They build up and tear down your stature depending on the day. Layered beyond that are our hopes […]

There is so much that makes a human. Muscles, nerve endings, water and blood. On top of your skeleton is a lifetime of experiences, things you’ve heard about what is normal, what you could and should be. They build up and tear down your stature depending on the day. Layered beyond that are our hopes and dreams, what we might become with a little luck and a lot of sweat. This self will come across circumstances, people and opportunities, good and bad, that shape it further. As a result, it may be hard to tell the difference between what is you and what isn’t you. There may be parts of yourself so long buried just waiting for you to reclaim them. So, if your life feels like shoes that don’t fit just right, like you’re wearing someone else’s life, perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate the things you’re counting as you.

These 5 questions to help you discover who you are and what makes you happy
How do you know if you don’t know who you are? It’s not like we purposefully put on a mask every morning. Instead we can unintentionally carry baggage and expectations that were never meant to be ours. Perhaps getting to the center of this question will require years of effort. Perhaps it will require the help of counselors, reading, meditation and much more. If you are at the beginning of this journey with no place to begin, we loved these 5 questions to get your mind thinking on the real you!

]]>Intent of the Day: Be Aware of Burnouthttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-aware-burnout/
Thu, 04 May 2017 22:15:48 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289582How many times have you taken a day off, called out of work, skipped a fun night out because you weren’t just tired, you were done? Taking time for yourself, you thought “Great! Now I’ll be refreshed and ready to take on the world again!” only to find yourself running on fumes, short tempered and […]

How many times have you taken a day off, called out of work, skipped a fun night out because you weren’t just tired, you were done? Taking time for yourself, you thought “Great! Now I’ll be refreshed and ready to take on the world again!” only to find yourself running on fumes, short tempered and miserable days later? What you may be experiencing is burnout. It is a state defined as “emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” This can be stress from any arena- family, work, health, you name it. Going full speed, a tumultuous relationship, starting a business in a rocky financial environment, and and all of it can cause you to not only be exhausted. Rather than being seen as a badge of honor, that perceived exhaustion is actually a much more serious state taking a toll on your mind, body and spirit, not to mention your friends, family and those you interact with in big and small ways.

If you’ve determined that burnout is kicking your butt, what next? Does it mean quitting everything? Leaving everything behind? A dead stop? It doesn’t have to. Before you get to that place, we loved these 7 recommendations for warning signs of oncoming exhaustion along with ways to beat them.

]]>Intent of the Day: Honest the First Timehttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-honest-first-time/
Thu, 04 May 2017 07:59:21 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289577Practice makes permanent. Not all of us have spent time developing the muscle of knowing what we think and feel in the moment. We’ve found ourselves agreeing to or missing out on experiences that don’t line up with what we want, but that’s a part of growing and discovering who we are. Strengthening the muscle […]

Practice makes permanent. Not all of us have spent time developing the muscle of knowing what we think and feel in the moment. We’ve found ourselves agreeing to or missing out on experiences that don’t line up with what we want, but that’s a part of growing and discovering who we are. Strengthening the muscle of knowing ourselves can be bumpy. It can mean having to have a conversation twice. It can mean having to change our minds. Those things might feel like our practice isn’t worth it, but push on!

The hope is that you start to know what you prefer. You start to know what truth and authenticity feels like in your bones. We learn not to shirk away when it feels uncomfortable to tell the truth. It is with practice that we grow and and learn. We intend to be honest the first time.

You too? Here are 3 things to help:

Being honest from the start means not having to go back.
So you said yes and now you regret it. You committed to too much and now you have to cancel on important plans. It may be difficult telling the truth about how much time you have, your capabilities or even your interest face-to-face, especially with technology allowing us to flake out on plans so easily, but being honest up front means not having to back out at the last minute.

Being honest from the start means you are known.
When we are able to communicate what we want, it means people know what we’re about. People have the chance to know what you stand for and this is the kind of knowledge that opens doors and opportunities. Committed and hard working? That’s a side of yourself that should be known. Passionate about something such as the environment and clean energy? When you are known by what you love and support, you are known well.

Being honest from the start gives you the chance to actually enjoy yourself.
Isn’t this what we all hope for? That our time is spent on things we love with people we love? When you can be honest about those things, you stand the best chance of spending that time well. Rather than running around meeting the demands of everything that comes your way, you can slow down by saying yes only to the very best. Your children won’t have to be prioritized behind a last minute email. Time at the gym won’t get canceled for time cleaning up someone else’s emergency.

Being honest can take practice.
Being honest can feel scary.
Still, setting an intent to be honest about who you are means learning how to enter every day without the stress and anxiety of living someone else’s life. Choose you. Be you.

]]>Intent of the Day: Decide What We Want Firsthttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-decide-want-first/
Mon, 01 May 2017 20:05:53 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289569It was the millionth time in a row of feeling frustrated because plans weren’t settled or what you hoped they would be. It was the millionth time you felt under appreciated and forgotten in the midst of decision making. In the name of team work and collaboration we can find ourselves waiting to know our […]

It was the millionth time in a row of feeling frustrated because plans weren’t settled or what you hoped they would be. It was the millionth time you felt under appreciated and forgotten in the midst of decision making. In the name of team work and collaboration we can find ourselves waiting to know our own feelings or make a decision until everyone else has decided and declared their own. Without realizing, we can find ourselves complicit in the act of not giving ourselves a voice. How does that happen?

Sometimes it feels rude or bossy to know what we want. But who decided that “rude” or “bossy” would be synonymous with know your feelings and intent? How often do we give others the opportunity to decide without judgement? Then why should we not give ourselves the same opportunity? It is far easier to adapt when you know where you stand to begin with, so today our intent is to decide what we want first. Before we’ve heard from the crowd. Before we let someone else decide for us. Before re resent people who have decided.

You ready to do the same? Here are 3 things to consider:

What would you do if you were alone?
It’s possible that knowing what you want isn’t an easy exercise. We consider all the factors, all the assumed feelings, the direction the wind is blowing, etc. Those variables can justify why we couldn’t possibly know how we felt or what we want. If this is where you’re starting, imagine what you would do if you were alone. If someone else’s schedule wasn’t a factor, what would you choose? If considering another person or project was off the table, what would you do with a free afternoon? You can always compromise, but knowing what you want allows you to better communicate it and, in turn, more likely to end up making choices that are fulfilling for yourself.

Take a minute to know.
You also don’t have to know what you want immediately. When presented with or presenting an option, you have every right to say “give me a minute to check my calendar” or “I need a moment to figure out what will work for me.” Before you agree to burgers for the 5th night in a row with friends, give yourself a second to consider before delivering a yes or a no. Like most things, strengthening this muscle will mean you make faster decisions in the future, but for now, don’t hesitate to take the time you need to determine what you really want.

You can change your mind.
You haven’t failed if you have a different opinion from the group. Remember that the goal isn’t unanimity. The goal here is to know what you want. Just because you want something different, doesn’t mean you can’t compromise or that someone’s mind can’t be changed. Perhaps your decision to go left instead of right will inspire someone else to do the same. Perhaps your decision to go left instead of right will happen next week as a result of working with a group. Perhaps your decision to go left instead of right is just the thing you needed to know it’s time for a new chapter in your life. And even if you decide to go left instead of right in this moment, you can change your mind at any time so release the pressure of deciding. You got this. You can always change your mind when you decide in the first place.

]]>Intent of the Day: Things That No Longer Servehttp://intentblog.com/intent-day-things-no-longer-serve/
Fri, 28 Apr 2017 20:24:39 +0000http://intentblog.com/?p=289560When was the last time you went through a solid spring cleaning? Not just your bedroom. Not just the places people can see. We’re talking the deep cleaning. The garage. Behind the appliances. The areas you usually avoid. What about the things that don’t even work anymore- figuratively and literally. Taking a quick inventory, we […]

When was the last time you went through a solid spring cleaning? Not just your bedroom. Not just the places people can see. We’re talking the deep cleaning. The garage. Behind the appliances. The areas you usually avoid. What about the things that don’t even work anymore- figuratively and literally. Taking a quick inventory, we can often find quick fixes, things hanging on by a thread and unnecessary items collecting dust in our home, but also in our mental and emotional lives. You have a bookshelf but it is full of books you never read and basically serves as an item we avoid having to dust. We have a closet full of clothes that used to fit or we hope will one day fit but no real plan for how to do that.

Our physical space is often time a symbol of what is going on internally. Are there things collecting dusts? Are there problems waiting with no plan of action to move you closer to a solution? You need no special mountaintop moment to begin taking inventory of what works and what doesn’t. Some things are still in fine condition, they just no longer serve where you are and where you are going. This means that a person, place or thing doesn’t have to be bad to be ready to transition elsewhere. It simply means keeping your eyes and your grip open for the purpose of growth.

This guidance on spring cleaning your life, from Bustle
Spring doesn’t have to be a fresh start for just your home, it can be a fresh start for you as well! As you dig out the cleaning supplies for the countertops, windows and floors, time to dig out some tools to do the same for yourself and we loved this help from Bustle!